Each year, the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech recognizes, with an induction ceremony, select alumni who have contributed to the profession, advanced in their careers, and enhanced the lives of others both personally and professionally. 

The School of Aerospace Engineering is extremely proud of this year’s awardees, and is looking forward to a special ceremony that will take place this Saturday, April 28th at the Ritz Carlton in Midtown. 

Kirk Thornburg
BS AE ‘82
Managing Director, Aviation Safety & Assurance, Delta Airlines

Kirk received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech and master’s degrees in business administration and finance from Georgia State University. Kirk has been a leader in airline technical management for more than thirty years focusing on airline and aircraft manufacturer engineering, quality, and maintenance. He is recognized as an industry expert in aging aircraft maintenance.

Kirk began his career with McDonnell Douglas as an airframe engineer and later joined Express Airlines (dba Northwest Link) as a manger of information systems and technical services. There, he held numerous positions including director of DC9 fleet engineering, director of DC9/747/757 interiors fleet engineering, and director of Tech Ops Quality Assurance. From there, Kirk joined AirTran Airways, where he first served as their director of engineering; later, he was named vice president of maintenance and engineering, and served a period of time with Southwest Airlines as the vice president of technical services. He is currently managing director of aviation safety and assurance with Delta Airlines.